2018 Luminary Award

The Crystal Charity Ball

North Texas Honoree

The Crystal Charity Ball has been a driving force for positive change in the lives of children in Dallas County since 1952, offering hope to underserved children by funding projects in health, education, social services and the arts.

The generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations has made it possible to provide significant financial support to more than 150 nonprofit agencies serving children in Dallas County. More than $145 million has been distributed to children’s charities in the organization’s 66-year history.

The Crystal Charity Ball comprises 100 active members who work on a volunteer basis to raise critically needed funds for different beneficiaries each year. Hundreds of hours are invested annually in researching the nonprofits that have applied for funding. Agencies selected as beneficiaries receive considerable monetary support as well as the benefit of having Crystal Charity Ball members as advocates in the public and private sector.

The Crystal Charity Ball has been recognized by Town & Country magazine as the best charity for children in the United States and has been ranked as the No. 1 fundraising charity for children in Dallas by the Dallas Business Journal.

Resource Center

Regional Honoree

Resource Center empowers the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) communities and all people affected by HIV through improving health and wellness, strengthening families and communities, and providing transformative education and advocacy.

Established in 1983, Resource Center focuses on education, service and achieving equality, recognition and equal rights for gays and lesbians in North Texas.

In 1985, as HIV and AIDS arrived in North Texas, the agency quickly mobilized to deal with the pandemic, becoming a source of community awareness, prevention education, legal services and basic needs.

In partnership with the Simmons Center for Family Counseling at SMU, Resource Center offers affordable, LGBTQ-specialized mental health counseling for youth and adults in individual, group and family settings. The agency’s Harold Simmons Foundation Health Campus provides critical assistance to low-income people living with HIV, including a nutrition program, a food pantry and a hot meals program. Resource Center’s Nelson-Tebedo Clinic offers HIV dental, STD prevention and

Today, with over 35 years of experience, Resource Center operates one of the largest LGBTQ community centers in the United States and is a primary HIV/AIDS service organization in North Texas. Its staff of 59, supported by over 1,200 volunteers, serves more than 60,000 people annually.

National Geographic Society & National Geographic Kids

National Honoree

One of National Geographic’s most famous explorers, Jane Goodall, once said, “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.”

National Geographic has been pushing the boundaries of exploration for 130 years by investing in bold people with transformative ideas in the fields of science, exploration, education and storytelling. We share these discoveries across global media platforms, through the best and brightest storytellers, photographers and filmmakers in the world. With our planet’s future at stake, we’re focused on the guardians of that future: our children.

Our National Geographic Kids team inspires young adventurers through award-winning magazines, books, games, videos, events and a Webby Award-winning website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core.

National Geographic Education brings geography, social studies and science to life, creating materials for K-12 educators and their students that bring the spirit of exploration and discovery into the classroom.

Together, National Geographic Kids and National Geographic Education engage kids and students of all ages to reveal our interconnected world and to inspire new generations of responsible citizens, explorers and changemakers.